Fast gray coverage sounds simple… until warmth, scalp heat and formulation choices start working against the result. For TRUSS Professional Global Ambassador Mickey Colon (@mickeycolonjr), co-owner of The Beauty Society & Co., the key to natural-looking gray coverage is understanding how to replace missing pigment without overloading the root with warmth.
Scroll down to get Mickey’s formulation strategy behind the result.
Gray Coverage Needs Warmth, But Too Much Can Create Hot Roots
When covering gray, Mickey explains that warmth plays an important role because gray hair lacks the underlying pigment needed for full coverage. Without that warmth, the result can appear hollow, flat or translucent.
“When we’re doing gray coverage, number one, you need gold to get that pigmentation back into the gray,” Mickey explains.
The challenge? Adding too much warmth at the root can create an overly golden result, especially because the scalp naturally processes warmer. “When you have too much warmth in the formula, paired with the warmth from the scalp, when it lifts, you will get that gold hot root,” Mickey says.
That is why Mickey likes to balance his formula rather than rely too heavily on warmth alone. In this service, he used a half-and-half approach with Level 6 and Level 7 to support coverage while keeping the root soft and controlled.
- Formula A: TRUSS FAST Color 6g 6.0 + 14g 7.0 + 30-volume developer (1:1)
Pro Tip: For clients who consistently come in every few weeks for gray coverage, Mickey loves TRUSS’ NEW FAST Color for its quick processing time. Here are a few reasons why this has become his go-to:
- Designed for root touch-ups: The line is recommended for root touch-ups up to two cm, especially on hair with a high percentage of gray.
- High Pigments Technology: The system uses high pigment deposition and concentration to allow deeper, faster penetration into the hair cortex.
- Shine and softness benefits: TRUSS FAST Color provides 97 percent more shine and 80 percent softer hair, based on instrumental testing with a 15-minute processing time.
- Anti-pollution action: FAST Color helps combat undesirable effects caused by pollution while coloring.
The Perfect Pair: TRUSS Deluxe Prime helps prep and protect the hair before color, making it the ideal support step for TRUSS FAST Color’s 10-minute gray coverage service
Ready to speed up gray coverage? Learn more about TRUSS FAST Color.
Choose Your Level Based On The Grow-Out
Although the client’s natural level was darker than the formula Mickey used, his goal was not to create a dark root. He wanted the color to transition naturally into her blonde mids and ends.
“If you notice, her level is actually a lot darker than what we’re applying to the root,” Mickey says. “But because I want to blend this into her blonde, I’m going to use a higher level.”
This is an important reminder for gray coverage clients who are also blonde or dimensional: covering the gray does not always mean matching the darkest natural level. Sometimes, going slightly lighter creates a softer root and a more seamless grow-out.
Pro Tip: Mickey also prefers lifting clients no more than one to two levels. “I have a rule that I don’t like to lift my clients more than one to two levels,” Mickey says. “Two is the highest.”
Why? Because the more the hair lifts, the more warmth is exposed. That warmth has to be controlled in the formula, especially when working near the scalp.
To tone, Mickey skipped the demi-permanent and reached for TRUSS Blond Revolution purple toning shampoo to perfectly balance the brass in his client’s prelightened ends.
Explore TRUSS FAST Color here.
